Contents

Biography

A Link to the Past

The Running Man is an otherwise unnamed man wearing a distinctive red hat and a red jacket standing very close to the Sweeping Lady in Kakariko Village.[2] He takes off whenever Link gets too close to him due to believing him to be the villain who kidnapped Princess Zelda. He is incredibly fast, and cannot be caught or spoken to at this time. Later on when Link acquires the Pegasus Boots, he can chase down the Running Man to catch up him. The Running Man says he doesn't look like a villain, and advises Link to dash into objects, such as trees in the village as he could find various objects hidden in them.[3] He will continue in his cowardly behavior and will always run from Link however. Later in the game, the man cannot be found in Kakariko Village again and does not return until the ending sequence.

Ocarina of Time

The Running Man in Ocarina of Time runs around Hyrule Field when Link is young after Link has obtained all three Spiritual Stones. He has an obsession with rabbits, and speaks about how Hyrule Field used to be filled with them. The Bunny Hood may be sold to him; he even believes the long ears will help him hear the voices of the gods. He will pay a big sum of Ruppes to obtain the mask. The exact amount he pays Link for the Bunny Hood is not set; he will simply give Link as many Rupees as it takes to fill his current Wallet. Once he receives the Bunny Hood, the Running Man will gain a burst of speed, damaging Link is he runs into him.

As an adult, Link can meet him inside the carpenters tent in Gerudo Valley. He will mention that he wanted to try to run through Haunted Wasteland; however, he had second thoughts for undisclosed reasons.[4] To make matters worse, the Gerudos tore down the bridge before he could escape, trapping him.[5] When the carpenters fix the bridge, he will challenge Link to a race from the tent to the bridge outside the Kokiri Forest.[6] The Running Man will always beat Link by one second.[7] Link's fastest time will be recorded in his house in Kokiri Forest.

Myths

Many myths surround the race against the Running Man in the Ocarina of Time. Theories say that Link may beat him if he uses certain items, beats a certain time, or does certain things. There are also various myths about what happens if the man is beaten, usually involving strange items, but these are not true. Despite the fact that he cannot be beaten in Ocarina of Time, Link can run faster than him in A Link to the Past using the Pegasus Boots.

References

↑"I'm the wandering running man! I've run all over this land in search of true competitive spirit. I beat all my challengers, man and beast." — Running Man (Ocarina of Time)

↑"On Link's first trip to Kakariko Village, he saw a man standing in the path outside a house filled with chickens. He approached the fellow, but the man ran away. Only after winning the Pegasus Shoes could he catch the Running Man and make him talk. In this way, Link learned to collect things by Dash Bashing trees." (The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Nintendo Player's Guide (Nintendo of America Inc.), pg. 115)

↑"I can't believe you caught me! With your speed it must have been easy to kidnap Zelda... You don't look like such a bad guy, though... Anyway, because you have such quick feet, it might be a good idea to run and bash into many things... For example the trees in this village have many unseful things hanging in their branches... Well, just try it, ok?!" — Running Man (A Link to the Past)

↑"I'm the wandering running man! I've run all over this land in search of competitors who have a true killer instinct! I came here to run through the Haunted Wasteland, but it doesn't look like good timing for that." — Running Man (Ocarina of Time)

↑"Though I want to go back to Hyrule Field, the bridge is...well, you can see it from here. So I'm stuck here, inside this tent. I don't think I can accept your challenge right now. Heh heh!" — Running Man (Ocarina of Time)

↑"You're an athletic guy, and you look like you might have a true killer instinct, too. Now that the bridge over Gerudo Valley is complete, I'm looking for a challenger to have a commemorative race against." — Running Man (Ocarina of Time)